Accelerating land movement in Rancho Palos Verdes cracks roads, sinks homes

Land movement cracking roads, sinking homes

Land movement in Rancho Palos Verdes continues to accelerate and as a result, roads and homes continue to crack and sink.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - According to experts, land movement in Rancho Palos Verdes continues to accelerate. As a result, roads and homes continue to crack and sink.

On Friday, FOX 11 exclusively joined Alpha Structural to view the land movement up close in a neighborhood near Portuguese Bend.

"You have to think to yourself, this isn’t real," said Damien Hammond, from Alpha Structural. "That’s how I feel here. I feel like I’m on a movie set, but in reality, this is 25 peoples’ homes."

Drone video from the Alpha Structural team shows essentially a giant crack cutting through the neighborhood.

"This whole part just pulled away from over here, opened up a chasm," said Joe Demers, a civil engineer with Alpha Structural. "This whole area moved about 5 feet in the last year or so, but then it really accelerated. In the last couple months, it’s moved another 4 or 5 feet."

Water main pipes are now above ground to try and prevent breaks. While at least one homeowner uses a garden hose to get water inside. In addition, a rope has been placed at the edge of one driveway to help homeowners climb up to their house.

"In the last week it’s gotten so bad, they’re actually packing up and moving, along with the house across the street," said Hammond.

Within the last year or so, experts believe some areas have dropped more than 12 feet. Recently, experts have said the land is moving about 12 inches per week.

"It’s possible that the unusual wet weather we’ve had in the last couple years is contributing to it, but it’s also possible it’s kind of a cycle over time," said Demers.

Workers nearby continue to pave Palos Verdes Drive, despite constant cracking. While historic Wayfarers Chapel was forced to close.

Some homeowners Friday could be seen moving from the area with the most significant land movement, while others hope it slows down.

"It may slow down, but if you build on it when it’s not moving, it’s going to move later," said Demers.

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes has a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 16 at 7 p.m. at McTaggart Hall in Hess Park to discuss planned repairs on Palos Verdes Drive, a section known as the "ski jump." The meeting can be accessed on Zoom.